Supporting and pressing board structure for ironing tables



July 25, 1950 w. KlsLlNG 2,515,219

SUPPORTING AND PRESSING BOARD STRUCTURE FOR IRONING TABLES Filed Dec.1e, 194e INVENTOR; M L. KIs/ ING Patented July 25, 195() sUPPoR'rG ANDPRESSING `BOARD STRUCTURE-ron IRONING Y'IAlsms William L. Kislingg St.Louis County, Mo. Applicatiqn December 16, 1946, serialNo. 716,540

2 Claims. 1f.

This-invention relates vto improvements in pressing tables, and moreparticularly to an improved supporting and pressing board structureadapted for vuse" with steaming irons, such f as, for exampleg-tnosefsupports .employed-inthefnislr ing of Woolen andl other textileslandfabrics, both before and after-'fabrication into garments and otherproducts.

Inl thosef of the'textilelv industries which. require finishingoperations particularly ofwoolen goods and thelike, itis'the. practiceto fempl'oy'steaming irons. Such Airons prevalentlymclude'a heatedsole-plate, and provisions :for emitting' steam throughorffalongtlie'soleiplatefor the purpose of imparting acertain desirableamount of mois-v ture to the fabricl inv the course-of. ironing 'orpressing. A serious difficultyprevails in that it is usually desirabletoemployaJ resilient pressingsurface, .usually of somei brous material,which tends after a short period of finishing operations, to becomeatleast partially Saturated' with the condensa-te-lfroml'the. `steamingiron. According to prevailing practice yunderthese rdillicultiesr thepressing boards are either kept' out ofservce for considerable periodsof tirne for drying, or alternately, are employed in soggy condition,thus seriously impairing the quality'of the Work. Thepresentfinv'ention. :has 4accordinglyVV a Yprime -objective Toteliminatingi the noted difli'culties;v by providing for evaporation ofcondensate other- Wise accumulating in the pressing support, thusremoving unwanted'moisture ata-frate equal to that of 'its accumulation.

A further and important object Ais attained in an ironing support ortable in 'which the press ing surface is maintained at all-times underoptimum conditions both lof temperature and moisture, `and is soconstructed that it may be used indenitely without becomingfwaterllogged, thus resulting in a, uniform' quality of'wbrl:l at alltimes throughoutthe Work period.

Yet-another important o'bjectof the invention is attained in acombination ironing surface and iron' rest, so constructed and suppliedby and from a common thermal source, that both" the ironing surface andthe restare maintained at temperatures suchV as lto'keep the-Workboardunder optimum operating` conditions at all times, with` the iron rest ata, tempera-ture which will prevent Aundesirable cooling or ,chilling-ofthek iron betweenactive Work periods.

(Cl.A 33E-10.7,)

Ag-Still;urtheeimpertant;obiectiveris attained ina. novelvrnaterialorcomposition of an absorbe ent,v fibrous natura. suchthatitfl possessesthel property of? mstantly; receiving; such condensate as necessarilyresults `from the usemof atsteaning iron, and yet which byreeevap'orationfdisposes of tn'e condensate at least as fast as it wouldotherwise accumulate :in the pressingfisupport.`4

Theforegoing and numerous ctherfobectives Willmore clearly appear fromthe following/detailed description-'of a single exemplifying-enibodimentof the invention, particularly when con-'- sidered in connection withthe accompanying drawinginwhich:

Fig. l isa top or plan -view of apressin'g table embodying the presentimprovements; 'l Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the assembly of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3-is afrontend elevation Aof the assembly;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation'in a vertical plane,particularly as viewedvalongiline 4.--4 of Fig. 1,V and Fig. 5 is a`sectional elevation in a vertical plane' longitudinally of the assembly,particularly that `portion valong line' 5 5; of Fig. 1.

Referring now by characters-of reference to the drawing, although thespeciiic formyoflsubjacent support-for the pressing table proper,doesnot' of itself form part ofthe present improvements; it maybe notedfor completenessas including a relatively heavy trifurcatebasepreferably ofvcast construction, the legs or feet of which are indicatedat I0, located at the extremities oiarms I-I, the latter beingsurmounted by a top-opensocket l2 provided with a set screw I3 whichreceives a tubular column I4 carrying at its top a tablesupporting platemember generally indicated-.at I5. Struts or braces, three of which areshown and indicated at I6, areV provided with formed ends (not shown)secured as will appear, to the board assembly as by bolts or rivets (notshown).

n The pressing table assembly Whichmay besaid collectively to`incl'ude'tho'se parts" above the supe port I5, includes by preference avrelatively rigid, normally horizontal, stamped sheetv metal body in thenature of a shallow pan, shapedby ypreference substantially as outlinedby Fig. 1, and including a bottom portion 2d'. vMarginally of the body,and preferably over its full perimeter, extend Vertical, right angularflanges 2 I. The depth of the shallow pan-likel support is determined inaccordance with the depth or thickness 4of the pressing board proper,later to Abe described, having regard also for the diameter of thepref-k erably elongateV heatingv elements later VVto be referred to. Therigidity or the pan-like body structure 20-21 yiis/enhanced by aninverted Sangle orv channellmember, preferably the latterf as shown.'and `indicated `at 22, this reinforcement element extendinglongitudinally of and beneath the bottom 20 of the body over a portionof its length, and being welded thereto.

Distributed along the bottom 20 of the shallow pan-like body or frame ofthe board, is a, length of heating coil, those portions of whichindicated at 23, and lying inside of the body 2li-2l, are preferablycontinuous and are distributed in back-and-forth relation in such manneras evenly to impart heat to the different areas of the table. Theheating element 23 may consist of enclosed electrical resistance unitsor other heated lengths of rod, but, by preference and as shown, it con-4 ing of any superposed loading and otherwise probable distortion.

The depth or thickness of the absorbent board element 21, say one-halfto one inch, is preferably such that it projects slightly above theupper margins of the flanges 2|, thus precluding any possibleinterference with the margins of the ironing surface, by the flanges. Asis customary in ironingorjpressing operations, the element 21 may bewrapped within a fabric" cover 30, the margins of which are brought downover the anges 2l, thence beneath the board and kept sists ofone-quarter inch tubing of copper or some i other thermally conductivemetal. Whatever the nature of the heating coil 23, it is greatlypreferred that this be of dry type, i. e. that itdoes not emit steam,nor otherwise introduce moisture below the ironing surface. and thermalconductivity of copper tubing renders it especially useful for formingup the elements 23. In pressing boards of average commercial size, alength of the order of twenty to twenty-five feet of such tubing will beformed into back-and-forth, primariiy longitudinal passes of the tubing.The heating element such as tubing 23 is preferably generally fixed inposition along and to the bottom 20 of the body, as by a number ofhold-down clips 25. These are conveniently of L shape form, includingtwo short horizontal elements connected by a vertical leg, thehorizontal parts being vertically spaced to an extent approximating theoutside diameter of the tubing, and the lower portion of each clip beingwelded, for example, directly to the metal of the bottom 20 of the bodyor pan..

In the preferred arrangement the inlet end 24 of the tubing 23 issupplied by steam from a suitable boiler or steam generator (not shown)the outlet end of the tubing shown at 26 being connected directly orindirectly to a trap, boiler return system or otherwise connected in asuitable steam circuit. It may here be noted that the board assemblyembodying the present improvements is particularly adapted for use witha steam system together with separator facilities, a pressing iron andadjunctive facilities therewith, all of the general order of thosedisclosed in U. S. Patent 2,071,128, issued to this applicant February16, 1937, and entitled Steam Separator and Superheater. When presentimprovements are utilized in and with a system of this order, the steamoutlet or discharge 2E from the coil 23, may lead directly or indirectlyto a trap such as M of the noted patent. In such an arrangement, thesteam now into, through and out of the distributed length of tubing 23,will take place in the directions indicated by the arrows (Fig. 1).

Directly overlying the several passes of the heating element 23 andpreferably directly upon or substantially adjacent the tubing, is apressing board or mat of fibrous nature later to be described, andindicated at 21. In order to assure the permanent planar characteristicof the board 21 and to keep it in a substantially horizontal position inthe different parts of the board, the bottom 20 of the pan or bodyserves to carry a plurality of intermediate supports such as invertedchannel elements 2B. These are of a height or depth approximating,perhaps only slightly exceeding, the diameter of the tubing 23, and thusserve the purpose of longitudinally stiffening the pan-like bodystructure. and of relieving the tub- The flexibility l under moderatetension by any suitable means, for example, hooks 3| and cross tensionsprings 32. At the rear end of the board assembly, and as a partialcover lfor this end of the board and serving yas an iron rest, is aplanar, normally horizontal member 33 preferably formed of a nonrusting,highy conductive sheet metal, such as aluminum. The iron rest isconveniently provided with certain marginal fianges as may be required,these flanges being indicated at 34, but being omitted along that marginof the iron rest which lies immediately adjacent the pressing surfaceproper. The preferred relation between the surface of the iron rest 33and the ironing surface identified with the adjacent portions of thecover 30, is or may be substantially a iiush relation with some slightdisparity in the levels of the two surfaces. y

Referring now more particularly to the nature and function of the board21, this is preferably substantially rectangular in form, say overtwothirds of its length from back to front, although toward the front ornose end of the board it is characterized by convergent sides similarlyto the plan of the pan-like body, these convergent sides meeting in arounded nose portion conforming by preference to the internal shape ofthe supporting body 213--2 I. Numerous experiments, extending over anumber of months and involving trials of practically all fibrousmaterials possible to be employed tofform the member 21, have resultedin a distinct preference for a mineral fiber, and a further preferencefora material possessing at least a moderate thermal insulationcharacteristic. It is necessary that the board proper or mat 21 becharacterized by a reasonable power of iiuid absorption or absorptivecapacity; that it be porous, first for absorbing a liquid such as water,and again forthe purpose of readily giving oif this moisture in the formof steam or vapor, when the board is heated. By preference also thiselement is of matted form, as distinguished from a woven ber. It is achoice also that this mat be imperforate, in the sense that it is notprovided withv any distinct, formed apertures or passagewaystherethrough. As a choice resulting from numerous trials, asbestosfibers of a relatively coarse nature, say in which ninety percent of theiibers are of one-half to one inch in length, has proven superior toother materials, and to yield better results than asbestos bers oflesser average length, and distinctly better than any matted fibers ofothers materials.

It is obviously desirable to provide for a reasonable maintenance ofform of the asbestos mat. This may be done by admixing a suitable bindertherewith at the time of forming the mat. Such binder should, however,be of a proportion distinctly minor in relation to the volume of thefiber, by preference and with best results, under ten percent by volume.A choice of binder evenly admixed with the asbestos while the binder isin 15 liquid or semi-liquid form is a thermosetting resin, althoughother binding materials, for eX- arnple, a proportion of Portlandcement, plaster of Paris or other hydrosetting minerals, will sufce.Such binder should be kept for best results within the limits ofproportion above stated.

The necessity for larger proportions of binder in the mat 2l', isminimized in the present case by the rm subjacent support thereof, andthe support of the mat over relatively close centers, as will beapparent from the locations of the chan nels 28 and the interveningtubing elements 23. Any tendency otherwise existing for the mat to spalloff along the margins or corners is protected against by the verticalflanges 2i, within which the mat nts by preference rather closely.

The selection of an insulation material and a preference for a mineralber such as asbestos, operates to eifect a more even distribution ofheat through the mat 2'! than would be the case were 'a more shallowlayer or even a layer of the same thickness of other materials, employedover the heating elements 23. In practice it has been determined thatsubstantially all portions of the pressing surface are kept within avery few degrees of the same temperature, thus making for evenness anduniformity of the work. The selection of coarse asbestos, and theminimization of binder, further conduce to a desirable and permanentresilience.

The purposes and functions of the various elements ar-e thought to havebecome fully apparent from the foregoing detailed description of apreferred form and arrangement thereof, but it may be noted that assteam is emitted from the iron (not shown) it is necessarily reduced intemperature by the work such as a fabric over which the iron is beingoperated. No matter how dry the original source of steam, at least somemomen tary condensation will occur in and below the fabric in work. Thepressure in coil 23, hence the temperature thereof, is such that the matand cover are at all times and in all parts of the board high enough sothat, to the extent that any condensation actually occurs in the mat,reevaporation quickly takes place as may actually be observed inpractice. Thus the mat and cover are kept at all times under optimumconditions of temperature and moisture to produce the best quality ofironing operation and finish.

It should be noted as a particular advantage, f

that the heating coil 23 includes at least four partial lengths in theexample shown, which extend directly under the iron rest 33, and thusserve to maintain the iron rest at a temperature not much if any lowerthan the best operating temperature of the iron. In this manner, thereis avoided any tendency otherwise noted with cold iron supports to chillthe sole plate between actual work movements.

It will now have appeared that the embodiment described serves fully toattain each of the several objectives hereinabove particularly pointedout, vand others implied from the more detailed description. Such detailof description, relating solely to a selected example, should beunderstood in an informative rather than a limiting sense, because ofthe numerous variants possible within the scope of the claims hereuntoappended.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a pressing board assembly for use with steaming irons, arelatively rigid table, a column supporting said table, a foot structureon said column, strut braces, a plurality of which extend from a lowerportion of the column to an outermost portion of the table, the tablebeing in the form of a shallow metal pan including a bottom with uprightbounding flanges, a steam heating coil of copper or like thermallyconductive material entering at the back end of said board and extendedin distributed fashion substantially over the bottom of the pan andhaving its exit at the entrance endl of the board, the coil diameterbeing substantially less than the depth of the pan-like structureforming the table, xed supports intervening the several passes of thedistributed heating coil, an asbestos board overlying but substantiallyadjacent the heating coil, said board being formed of asbestos fibersand a binder retaining the bers in a distinctly matted relation, andbeing highly thermally insulatively and moisture absorbent, a fabriccover over the asbestos board, the asbestos board being marginallyretained in place by the marginal flanges of the pan and overlying thecenter and front areas only of the latter, an iron rest formed of ahighly conductive sheet metal provided with downwardly extending sidemarginal flanges fitting between said upright flanges of the pan, therest overlying a portion of the heating coil so as normally to bemaintained in a heated condition thereby.

2. In a pressing board for use with a steaming iron, a supportingcolumn, strut braces having their lower ends connected theretoandextending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, an elongated pan mountedon the upper end of said column and connected to the upper ends of saidbraces and provided with upright bounding flanges substantially aboutits entire periphery, a channel beam connected to the under side of saidpan and extending longitudinally of the latter to reinforce the same, anelongated heating element within said pan and extending longitudinallyof the latter for substantially the full length of the pan for severaltimes, said element being shallower than the height of said flange, andan elongated asbestos board of a width tting within said ilanges, andstiifener elements secured to the inner surface of the bottom of saidpan and extending substantially longitudinally of the latter to maintainit in planar form and being of a height to extend to at least the heightof said heating of said heating element, said board supported on saidstiffener elements to form a heating chamber between the under side ofsaid board and the opposed surface of the pan bottom.

WILLIAM L. KISLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith et al Apr. 19,

